Sputnik spoke to Talha Köse, Associate Professor and the Chair of Political Science and International Relations Dept at Ibn Haldun University for more insight on the issue.
Sputnik: Is there worse to come for Turkey’s precarious and volatile economy?
Talha Köse: The major crisis within the Turkish economy comes down to two big problems. The private sector had some dollar debts but we knew it was coming but it could be managed a lot easily and smoother.
Trump’s comments, tweets and responses stimulated the crisis further, so the government didn’t have a chance to deal with this issue in time. Trump’s administration is using this crisis as a threat to evangelical supporters in the US and it seems they will further escalate until the mid-term elections.
Talha Köse I don’t think so. Turkish people see this as a clear sign of collective punishment of Turkish people. It’s not just targeting Erdogan but the entire Turkish people because the currency will affect the entire Turkish people.
The Trump administration made clear that it is not respecting the rule of law. There are much more structural problems between us and the US.
Trade limitations are a collective punishment of Turkish people. They are hurt on these economic issues but still support Erdogan.
Sputnik: Could we see allies of Turkey step in and assist if further sanctions are put in place?
The American government has definitely been trying to instrument lies and trade wars for their purposes. I think Europeans are disrupted from this situation and also they have investment in Turkey.
The use of these sanctions are a matter of concern, not just for Europe but for China and the rest of the world too.
Views and opinions expressed in this article are those of Talha Köse and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.
